Do you feel an irresistible pull to the mall and own far
more shoes than you reasonably need? Do you spend a lot of your time thinking
about money and shopping and juggling the books to continue your spending ways?
Does your buying habit cause you problems, either financial or with those you
love? Do you think you might have a serious problem with shopping…?

Although we may consider ourselves a nation of shoppers, for
about 1 in 20 of us, the way we shop and buy has gone beyond the range of
normal and results in significant consequences to wellbeing and financial
solvency. For about 5% of us, our shopping behaviors are actually a mental
illness that requires treatment.

Compulsive buying is also known as compulsive shopping,
shopping addiction, shopoholism and oniomania. Most experts consider compulsive
shopping to be a form of impulse control disorder (not otherwise specified).

If you have a compulsive buying disorder you experience
regular powerful urges to shop or buy that are very difficult to resist, and
because of the time and money you spend on buying, you very likely experience
financial or relationship problems. Although you likely shop as a way to deal
with negative emotions, and although buying can make you feel very good
temporarily, buying usually results in feelings of guilt and remorse, which can
in turn restart the compulsive cycle.1

Prevalence – How Big Is the Problem and Who’s at Risk?

The prevalence of compulsive buying in the general
population ranges from 1% to 6% in research studies. Women are far more likely
to have this type of impulse control disorder (90%).2

Compulsive buying typically emerges in a person’s late teens
or early twenties and is generally a chronic or lifelong problem. People with a
compulsive buying disorder are also likely to experience another co-occurring
psychiatric issue, such as substance abuse, another impulse control disorder,
depression, anxiety, eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorders.

Warning Signs, Treatment and Self Help

According to the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery,
some warning signs that may indicate a compulsive buying disorder include:

Recognizing 4 or more of these behaviors in yourself may
indicate a problem.

Compulsive Shopping Disorder Treatment

Because research into the disorder has only really begun to
accelerate within the last decade or so, there have been few rigorous studies
done on the efficacy of differing treatment methods for compulsive buyers.

Because compulsive buying can so often result in financial
and relationship problems, other types of interventions that can be beneficial
include:

Credit
or financial counseling

Relationship
therapy

Because compulsive buying disorder often co-occurs with
other psychiatric disorders, it’s also important to receive a full psychiatric assessment
and screening to identify, and if necessary treat, any undiagnosed disorders.

Self Help

According to April Lane Benson, Ph.D., an expert on the
treatment of compulsive buying disorder, one thing that you can do on your own
to take control of your buying behaviors is to be conscious about your
shopping. She recommends writing down 6 questions on a card and then before
buying something asking yourself:

She also recommends that you take note of what emotions
trigger your urges to buy and to then think of solutions that will truly meet
your needs. For example, if your shopping urges are triggered by feelings of
loneliness, rather than buying as a quick way to feel good, you could instead
take steps to increase the relationships in your life by joining a club or by
volunteering, for example.

Parkinson’s Medications

People taking dopamine-agonists medications for the
treatment of Parkinson’s are between 2 and 3.3 times more likely to experience
an impulse control disorder than the general population – and the most likely
impulse control disorder experienced by Parkinson’s medication patients is
compulsive buying disorder. 6

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